The present invention relates to a tracking system, and in particular a tracking system which utilizes a radio frequency identification tag (RF ID tag) in order to track critical process equipment, provide access to supporting documents and specifications for the process equipment, and provide customer access to data related to the equipment, as well as cataloguing event-specific data related to the process equipment to allow the service life to be predicted and preferably a replacement to be ordered within a predetermined time period, preferably using an internet connection.
Systems are known for permanently associating and identifying indicia with a previously manufactured product. This is typically done in order to provide positive identification of the product. Such indicia may be visually readable by a user or machine-readable, such as via a magnetic strip reader or an optical or magnetic bar code. This type of identification has been done in accordance with specific industry requirements, where it is often required to specifically identify equipment utilized during different manufacturing steps. Placement of indicia on the equipment in as permanent a manner as possible provides identification and therefore the ability to identify the equipment throughout its usable life.
RF ID tags have also been known and have been adapted to various uses, such as inventory control and theft protection of items. The heart of an RF ID system is an information-carrying tag which functions in response to a coded RF signal received from a mobile reader or base station. The tag reflects the incident RF carrier back to the RF ID tag reader or base station and the information transferred as the reflected signal is modulated by the tag according to its programmed information protocol. RF ID tags may be active, in which a power source is provided, or passive, in which the energy for the reflected signal is derived from the RF signal from the base station or RF ID tag reader used to interrogate the tag. The RF ID tags can be programmed or encoded with specific information, such as an individual identification numbers for a product, such as serial numbers, and/or additional product information, depending upon the complexity of the RF ID tag. Read/write RF ID tags are also known which can be used to receive and store additional data.
In many industries, such as pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical industries, it is difficult to obtain good data with respect to the life of process equipment in view of the many requirements necessitated by various applications. Accordingly, it has been difficult to predict the expected life of certain process equipment, depending upon the particular application, and oftentimes process equipment for a particular application is discovered to be no longer serviceable when it fails in use, resulting in downtime while a new replacement part is procured, as well as loss of product being processed and/or contamination. The life of such process equipment can be affected by different factors, such as processing times, number of batches of material processed, as well as cleaning cycles. However, no efficient means exists to track these factors, and tracking becomes even more difficult when no specific identification is associated with the specific equipment in question, either through loss or labeling that cannot be read due to use and/or repeated cleanings.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a better and more efficient means for attaching indicia to such process equipment as well as the ability to track predetermined events. It would also be desirable to be able to use the identification to obtain equipment-related data, specifications and certifications as required from a manufacturer. It would also be desirable to provide an easier and more efficient system for tracking equipment life so that replacements can be ordered in a timely manner prior to failure of the process equipment and within a projected life expectancy.